By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 6: The Watchman on the Wall
Week 24: Standing in the Gap (The Wall of Intercession)
Anchor Scripture: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” — Romans 8:26 (NKJV)
The Teaching
As we continue through the “Wall of Intercession,” we must look at the deepest and most intense form of the Watchman’s action: Travail. In the natural world, travail refers to the labor pains of childbirth. In the spiritual world, it refers to a state of intercession where the Prophet “brings to birth” the purposes of God through a deep, internal “groaning” of the Spirit.
There are moments on the wall where “words” are no longer enough. You see the move of God approaching, but it is “stuck” in the womb of the Spirit. Or you see a crisis that is about to explode, and your spirit begins to “heave” with the weight of it. This is not a logical prayer; it is a Metabolic Prayer. Your body and your emotions are involved in the “birthing” process.
The “Groan” is the sound of the Spirit of God moving through a human vessel to break a spiritual deadlock. Travail bypasses the intellect (Day 99) and speaks directly from the “deep” of God to the “deep” of the earth. When a prophet travails, they are acting as a Spiritual Midwife. They are pushing through the resistance of the atmosphere to allow the “New Thing” (Day 146) to manifest in the physical realm.
Prophetic Insight
Travail is often mistaken for “emotional instability” or “hysteria” by those who don’t understand the prophetic office. If you find yourself suddenly bent over in prayer, weeping without a clear reason, or making sounds that aren’t words, do not be ashamed. You are in the Birthing Room. God has trusted you to “push” His purposes into existence. This is a holy and exhausted work. When the travail is finished, there is an unmistakable “release” or “peace” that floods the soul. You know that something has shifted in the spirit. Never “fake” travail to sound spiritual, but never “stifle” it when the Spirit initiates it. The future of a nation often depends on the “groan” of a single watchman.
The Activation
The next time you feel a “Massa” (Day 106) that is too heavy for words, don’t try to pray in your own language. Instead, “Lean into the Groan.” Find a private place, go to your knees, and ask the Holy Spirit: “Lord, what are You birthing? I yield my breath and my body to Your groan.” Stay in that posture until the “heaviness” lifts and the “release” comes.
Daily Prayer: Lord God, I thank You that Your Spirit intercedes through me. I yield my heart and my body to the work of travail today. Forgive me for trying to ‘manage’ my prayers with my own intellect. I choose to be a midwife for Your Kingdom. Let Your holy groan move through my spirit to break every deadlock and birth every promise. I yield to Your labor pains for the sake of Your Glory. Amen.
